Accident Overview
On February 22, 2009, at approximately 1300 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28C-235, registration N9487W, was substantially damaged when it struck a barbed wire fence following a loss of engine power during a landing approach at Meadow Lake Airport (00V), Falcon, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The personal flight was conducted under Title 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. The pilot and a passenger were not injured. The local flight originated at 00V around 1130.
Pilot's Account
The pilot reported preflighting the airplane and noting fuel gauge indications: left tip tank 6 gallons (17 gallon capacity), left main tank 12–15 gallons (25 gallon capacity), right main tank 5–10 gallons (25 gallon capacity), and right tip tank empty (17 gallon capacity). After departing with a friend, they flew to Fremont County Airport (1V6) in Canon City and returned to Meadow Lake after about 1.5 hours. While at 500 feet on short final approach to runway 15 in landing configuration (carburetor heat, fuel pump on, flaps 20 degrees), the engine lost power. The airplane touched down in a field 200–300 feet short of the runway and struck a barbed wire fence, leading to leading edge damage to both wings and damage to the left main tank.
Witness Observation
A witness standing near fixed base operator Classic Air, east of the A2 intersection, observed the airplane on final approach to runway 15. He watched the pilot execute a go-around and noted that as the airplane passed his position, the engine "didn't sound like it was running perfect. There was a slight roughness to the exhaust sound." The airplane continued in the traffic pattern. On the next approach, the witness saw the airplane "much lower than expected" with a higher than normal rate of descent. The airplane contacted the ground far short of the runway, producing a large puff of dust, then continued forward at high speed, bouncing and swerving. As it neared the runway threshold, it swerved left onto taxiway alpha, where the pilot regained control. The witness observed two large holes in the leading edges of the wings with fuel pouring out. He called the pilot via handheld radio to alert him of the fuel leak. The pilot and passenger exited the airplane, and the pilot stated that when he turned final, "the engine just quit."
Post-Accident Examination
On March 3, 2009, an FAA inspector examined the airplane. The fuel selector was found positioned on the left main fuel tank. Fuel was present in the fuel selector drain and left main tank drain, but only a negligible amount in the right main tank drain. The left wing tip tank contained approximately 3–5 gallons, and the right wing tip tank contained approximately 2–4 gallons. During a test, the engine was started with the fuel selector on the left main tank and ran for about 5 minutes. The selector was then moved to the left wing tip tank for another 5 minutes, then to the right wing tip tank (engine continued running), and finally to the right main tank, after which the engine stopped after about one to two minutes. The pilot did not submit an accident report. According to a Piper Aircraft Company spokesman, the airplane's engine, operating at 7000 feet msl and 75 percent power, consumes about 14 gallons per hour.